Five-O Goes High Tech With New Electric Motorcycle

Johnny Law goes electric with the law enforcement version of the Zero Motorcycles S. Same silent powertrain, now with more power and range. Photo: Zero Motorcycles

For a police officer, a motorcycle provides unparalleled mobility for weaving through traffic coupled with nimble handling and quick acceleration to catch fleeing perps. Now Five-O is adding another benefit: Stealth. The wonders of electric propulsion let the boys (and girls) in blue strike in silence.

Zero Motorcycles already makes some of the best electric motorcycles around, and it has found a niche supplying bikes to law enforcement agencies. The police bikes found fans with cops in Northern Califoria when Zero started offering a cop-specific riff on the DS dual sport machine in 2011. Now Zero is offering the same package on the street-ready Zero S.

“After seeing the success the 2012 model had in the field, we decided to expand our 2013 police and security offerings,” John Lloyd, vp of global sales, said in a statement. “To have the support of so many different law enforcement agencies and security organizations is an incredible honor.”

The latest law-enforcement models get crash bars, the requisite lights, a Whelen siren, and a shotgun rack. Options include hard cases, a detachable windscreen, and a quick-charge kit. The bikes also enjoy a boost in power and range over the 2012 models. They’re good for 70 to 112 miles depending how hard Johnny Law is riding, and a top speed of 95 mph.

“It’s great because it’s very stealthy in nature,” said Officer David Ball of the Scotts Valley, California, police department. “It’s quiet, you can sneak up on people, plus it doesn’t annoy the neighbors.”